Tickle
v.joyful, energeticplayful
What it means
To cause light amusement, delight, or playful curiosity.
Reach for it when describing a gentle comic or imaginative effect rather than intense laughter
The illustrator's tiny runaway boot will tickle observant readers.
Choose between these
6- playful
crack up
when something causes loud laughter in casual speech
not when Crack up is far stronger and less gentle than tickle.
- everyday
when something provides straightforward light entertainment
not when Amuse is broader and lacks tickle's playful suggestion of a small response.
- warm
when appealing character wins affection
not when Charm can be quiet and graceful without being funny.
- warm
when pleasure is stronger and need not be comic
not when Delight overstates a moment that merely raises a smile.
- professional
when holding an audience's interest is the intended result
not when Entertainment may be gripping or dramatic rather than lightly amusing.
- literary
tickle one's fancy
when whimsical personal appeal is the exact idea
not when The idiom is longer, old-fashioned, and shifts from amusement to preference.
Said against
3- bore
- sadden
- irritate
It naturally appears in
3- tickle the imagination
The unfinished doorway may tickle the imagination of young explorers.
- tickle readers
The footnotes tickle readers without disrupting the argument.
- tickle someone's funny bone
That solemn penguin will tickle someone's funny bone.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English verb figurative sense: to amuse or delight opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.